In this Issue:
May 5 – AgriLife: Caldwell County Extension - Pecan Management Program*
May 24 – NRCS: Comal-Guadalupe SWCD Local Workgroup Meeting**
May 30 – USDA Service Center closed for Memorial Day
July 15 – FSA Deadline: Acreage Reporting- spring seeded crops & perennial forages
* Please call the Caldwell County Ext. Office at 512-398-3122 by April 29th to RSVP.
** See article below for more information.
Comal County Resource Conservationist, Cody Groff, would like to remind folks about the Comal- Guadalupe SWCD Local Workgroup Meeting. See information and article below:
May 24, 2022 at 8:30 AM
Texas Education and Heritage Center (Big Red Barn)
390 Cordova Road
Seguin, TX 78155
For more information, please contact Beverly Hartwick at 830-379-0930 ext. 3 or
e-mail: Beverly.Hartwick@tx.nacdnet.net
Each year, from March through May, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Texas county field office staff and their conservation partners at Soil and Water Conservation Districts host Local Work Group meetings across the entire state. These meetings provide a forum to outline future conservation needs, identify conservation resource concerns and set priorities for a given resource area. Participants help:
- identify where the best investments can be made to address natural resource problems,
- share the work that has already been done in the county, and
- share their vision for what the county will look like when these natural resource concerns have been addressed.
This locally led, grassroots planning effort is the hallmark of USDA NRCS. These listening sessions are open to the public and provide time for participants to share their perspectives on local priorities NRCS offers through the technical assistance and through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funding of the current Farm Bill. A complete list of Local Work Group meetings, times and locations for each county can be found via a statewide on the NRCS Texas website. Click on the county you are interested in to see meeting information and NRCS contact for the meeting.
Strategic approach to conservation
This local information gather process is part of NRCS’ strategic approach to conservation across the state of Texas. NRCS utilizes Local Work Group meetings to gather input from landowners, agency partners and other stakeholders to identifies and prioritizes natural resource concerns in the community. This information is collected and provided to the State Conservationist and the State Technical Advisory Committee (STAC), which is made up of partners at all levels of government, organizations, research institutions, non-profits, and landowners to concentrate conservation efforts and yield measurable results. Based on the input received, NRCS works with partners to develop local strategies to help agricultural producers in in each county to implement conservation practices that address related resource concerns. Local Work Group meetings provide an opportunity to check-in on current projects, to ensure the project is meeting its goals and enabling adjustments to be made when necessary. Visit farmers.gov to find your local USDA service center For more information, visit the NRCS Web site at http://www.tx.nrcs.usda.gov/.
Farmers, ranchers, and other producers and growers now have a one-stop shop to help ensure they are treated fairly. The new farmerfairness.gov portal developed jointly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Justice (DOJ) allows you to report potential violations of livestock and poultry antitrust laws, including the Packers and Stockyards Act.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently expressed concern that producers across the country have for too long faced a marketplace that benefits a few large companies over the farmers and ranchers who grow and raise our food.
For example, ranchers received more than 60 cents of every dollar a consumer spent on beef 50 years ago, compared to approximately 39 cents today. Hog farmers fared worse over the past 50 years, as their share of the consumer dollar fell from between 40 to 60 cents 50 years ago to approximately 19 cents today.
In order to assure economic opportunity and fairness for all, this portal makes it easy for farmers and ranchers to register a complaint or tip and provide details that would aid an investigation.
Who may submit a complaint or tip?
Anyone who suspects a violation of Federal law governing fair and competitive marketing and contract growing of livestock and poultry, including the Packers and Stockyards Act.
What information should I provide?
Those reporting potential violations of the Packers and Stockyards Act and other competition laws via the online portal are asked to submit the following information:
- The names of companies, individuals, or organizations that are involved,
- A description of any possible violations of the Packers and Stockyards Act or other federal antitrust laws,
- Examples of the conduct that may violate one or more of these laws,
- Any other relevant details about the violation, and
- The names of companies, individuals, or organizations that may be harmed by the alleged violation and how they are harmed.
What is the process following submission of a complaint or tip?
Complaints and tips will go through a preliminary review by USDA Packers and Stockyards Division staff and Department of Justice staff. If a complaint raises sufficient concern under the Packers and Stockyards Act or antitrust laws, it will be selected for further investigation by the appropriate agency. This action may lead to the opening of a formal investigation.
USDA or DOJ staff will only contact complainants if additional information is needed.
Will my confidentiality be protected?
Both USDA and DOJ will protect the confidentiality of the complainants to the fullest extent possible under the law. For any information provided, DOJ and USDA will follow their respective Privacy and Confidentiality Policies found at: DOJ Confidentiality and USDA Privacy. Packers and Stockyards regulations regarding confidentiality also apply: PSD Confidentiality. DOJ and USDA commit to supporting relevant whistleblower protections, including newly applicable protections for criminal antitrust complainants against unlawful retaliation.
To submit an anonymous complaint or tip, complainants or tippers should provide appropriate details but not enter their names or contact information. Neither USDA nor DOJ will be able to contact anonymous complainants or tips to obtain additional information that might be needed to evaluate your complaint tip, or to engage in future correspondence regarding your complaint or tip.
Farmers, ranchers, and other producers and growers deserve the benefits of fair and competitive markets for their products and services. This portal is an additional tool to support and protect these individuals who are vital to agriculture and our food supply.
In response to feedback received from the producers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is improving crop insurance for hemp. USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is strengthening the hemp crop insurance policy by adding flexibilities around how producers work with processors as well as improving consistency with the most recent USDA hemp regulation.
RMA revised the policy to add flexibility to the insurability requirements for hemp under contract. Producers are no longer required to deliver hemp without economic value for insurability. However, contracts between producers and processors may still include delivery requirements. Additionally, RMA clarified how the amount of insurable acreage is determined if the processor contract specifies both an acreage and a production amount. This change was made in the policy to ensure producers know how their insurable acreage is determined for those contracts.
Other Updates
To ensure consistency across USDA, RMA updated references to regulations, including the Agriculture Marketing Service final rule, which took effect March 22, 2021.
Additionally, RMA added a new requirement for producers who grow direct-seeded hemp, or hemp grown from seeds planted in the ground. Before insurance attaches, producers must have acreage inspected and must have a minimum of 1,200 live plants per acre. This requirement was added to align direct-seeded hemp with the common farming practice for transplanted Cannabidiol (CBD) of transplanting at least 1,200 live plants per acre.
About the Hemp Policy
The hemp crop insurance policy provides Actual Production History (APH) coverage against loss of yield due to insurable causes of loss for hemp grown for fiber, grain, or CBD oil. The Farm Bill defines hemp as containing 0.3% or less tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on a dry-weight basis. Hemp having THC above the federal statutory compliance level of 0.3% is an uninsurable or ineligible cause of loss and will result in the hemp production being ineligible for production history purposes.
The hemp crop insurance policy is available in certain counties within 25 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
In 2021, hemp producers insured 12,189 acres and 59 policies to protect $10.9 million in liabilities.
Other Coverage for Hemp
In addition to the APH crop insurance policy, coverage for hemp is available through Whole-Farm Revenue Protection, the Nursery crop insurance program, and the Nursery Value Select pilot crop insurance program. Additionally, the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program coverage, offered through USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), protects against losses associated with lower yields, destroyed crops or prevented planting where no permanent federal crop insurance program is available.
The 2018 Farm Bill reclassified and legalized the regulated production of industrial hemp as an agricultural commodity (it is now legal to grow industrial hemp). Hemp producers can learn more at farmers.gov/hemp.
Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA Agent Locator. Learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at www.rma.usda.gov.
The USDA Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Direct Farm Ownership loans can help farmers and ranchers become owner-operators of family farms, improve and expand current operations, increase agricultural productivity, and assist with land tenure to save farmland for future generations.
There are three types of Direct Farm Ownership Loans: regular, down payment and joint financing. FSA also offers a Direct Farm Ownership Microloan option for smaller financial needs up to $50,000.
Joint financing allows FSA to provide more farmers and ranchers with access to capital. FSA lends up to 50 percent of the total amount financed. A commercial lender, a State program or the seller of the property being purchased, provides the balance of loan funds, with or without an FSA guarantee. The maximum loan amount for a joint financing loan is $600,000, and the repayment period for the loan is up to 40 years.
The operation must be an eligible farm enterprise. Farm Ownership loan funds cannot be used to finance nonfarm enterprises and all applicants must be able to meet general eligibility requirements. Loan applicants are also required to have participated in the business operations of a farm or ranch for at least three years out of the 10 years prior to the date the application is submitted. The applicant must show documentation that their participation in the business operation of the farm or ranch was not solely as a laborer.
For more information about farm loans, contact your Guadalupe County USDA Service Center at 830-379-0931 or visit fsa.usda.gov.
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